July 14, 2013

NLM: Wearing
an identifiable form of clerical dress has always been prescribed by
the Church and, today, the wearing of the cassock at all times has
become a symbol of strong priestly identity and attachment to tradition
-- particularly in the light of the abandonment of clerical dress
altogether by many since the time of the Council.

It is
interesting to note, however, that the use the cassock, originally a
late Roman, medieval magistrate’s garment, has seen an evolution in the
past 150 years up to the present day; an evolution which many might find
surprising. From the point of view of history, many of us may not be
aware that a little more than a century ago the cassock was used only
within liturgical, ceremonial or courtly contexts, and was not worn in
day to day clerical life. Day to day usage dates only from the turn of
the 19th century following from the French usage since the time of the
1789 revolution. Ironically then, the day to day usage which is today
considered such a strong symbol of tradition was at one time considered
quite differently.

It is important to state from the outset that
the intent of this article is not to disparage the use of the cassock as
we see it today. Instead, its purpose is simply to offer a historical
consideration, illustrating the traditional, pre-late 19th century
logic of having liturgical and ceremonial dress distinct from every day
clerical dress, attempting to describe what was worn by the clergy
previous to the change of dress in late 19th century, as shown from a
set of 1860-1880 photographs of Roman society, and from contemporary
prints and paintings.